Nathan's New Nurse
by NaleyWriter23
Summary: Since a devastating knee injury over a month ago, Nathan's been mourning the loss of his basketball career- and taking his anger out on his hospital staff. But when a new nurse takes over, his whole world changes.
1. Chapter 1

*This story wouldn't be possible without the help of Mel. Thank you, friend.

"Mr. Scott," Nathan heard his nurse's stern grunt and pulled his rapt attention away from the basketball game playing on the static-ridden television to look at her. Sure enough, Judy was standing with her hands pressed firmly on her hips- her beady brown eyes narrowed to a dangerously thin line. Nathan shivered. Even standing at a mere five-foot-two-inches, Judy was a force to be reckoned with. The head nurse made it clear since the day he was admitted for his knee injury that she would not put up with his egotistical, grumpy attitude.

Nathan would never outwardly admit it but he was afraid of the older woman. Yet, as tough as Judy was, and despite her constant barking orders, she had a soft and sweet side, too. Nathan had come to respect her over the course of the past month, no matter how tough she was on him. In fact, he'd come to think of her as a grandmother figure- she'd take no shit from him but made sure he received the best care possible. He'd prefer her over the other incompetent staff at the hospital any day; he wondered where these idiot nurses got their degrees from. They barely knew how to fluff a damn pillow without causing him more pain. Sure, he'd been less than an easy patient, but really, maybe he wouldn't have to be so rude if people knew how to do their job right. If it weren't for Judy, Nathan would have demanded discharge immediately.

"How're you feeling today?"

Nathan shrugged, not even bothering to feign enthusiasm. The truth was, he was pissed. Angry. Devastated. In pain.

Nobody understood. After just one wrong move, his entire basketball career ended. Six years of playing in the NBA- gone. His entire kneecap shattered when Dante Jones slammed into him mid-air, causing Nathan to fall right onto his bent leg and smash the bone into 31 fractures. The doctors said he'd be lucky if he ever walked normally again, let alone play basketball at a professional level. It was no wonder Nathan had been acting like an ass- the only thing he'd ever loved was cruelly ripped away from him.

Judy rolled her eyes at his grunt and walked further into the hospital room, drawing the curtains back to allow the sunshine through the window; Nathan turned away from her, not in the mood for another lecture- or his daily sponge bath. He'd completely overlooked that there was another nurse behind Judy.

"Wipe that puss off your face, young man," she commanded. Nathan noticed her southern drawl sounded different than most other people from North Carolina. Her words curled in the air like wet leaves under the sun; maybe she was from Texas? He made a mental note to ask her one day.

"Listen," she continued, "I'm overlooking another surgery today so I won't be here to keep you in line."

This got his attention. He snapped his head up and noticed, for the first time, the unfamiliar nurse standing beside Judy. Nathan's eyes widened slightly; he was taken aback by her obvious beauty. He never thought scrubs could look sexy but whoever this woman was, gave sexy a whole new meaning. She was stunning, actually. Her large brown eyes melted the sharp ice in his mouth, rendering him completely speechless. His fingers immediately itched to reach out and surf through her waves of golden hair. And those lips- pink and plump looked so soft and smooth. When she smiled at him, revealing a row of perfectly straight white teeth, Nathan wondered how his heart rate monitor didn't explode in a frenzy of alarms.

"Uh, what?"

Judy made a 'tsk' sound under her breath. "I'm here to introduce you to my temporary replacement- and I swear Nathan Scott, you better be on your best behavior and not bite her head off or so help me God…"

Nathan was still staring at the new nurse. Truthfully, he couldn't hear a word Judy had just said. His eyes were basking in the beauty before him. However, a slight, more competent portion of his brain momentarily panicked- sure the new nurse was beautiful but what if she screwed up like the others? What would he do without Judy? Still, he wouldn't take her warning lightly. Nathan knew better than to mess with a pissed-off Judy. He certainly learned that the hard way.

"This is Nurse James. She's a lot nicer than I am but that doesn't mean you can treat her the way you treat the other staff, do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nathan mumbled under his breath; he felt as if he'd been scolded by his mother in front of a cute girl. Talk about embarrassing.

"Alright then," Judy turned towards Nurse James and smiled, handing her a clipboard. "Good luck, sugar. I'll see you both tomorrow." With that, she headed towards the door and winked.

Nathan watched the nurse reciprocate the smile and wave. He too threw Judy a perfunctory grin and waited with bated breath for the new nurse to speak.

He couldn't help but stare at the way a tiny sliver of her tongue poked between her lips as she concentrated on whatever was written on the clipboard.

"Ok, well, looks like it's time for a sponge bath," she announced in a steady voice. Her smile was easy. He gulped. He was used to Judy giving him a sponge bath- it was slightly uncomfortable for an older woman to touch you but she remained professional and quick and it was never awkward. This new nurse though… Nathan's heart was already racing at the thought of her hands all over him. It's been a long time since he'd had someone half as attractive as she was who touched his body.

Nathan tried to think of something to say to diffuse his less than Holy thoughts. "A sponge bath already? I don't even know your name," he cracked a small smile, hoping it conveyed his humor. The last thing he wanted was to make this nurse feel uncomfortable. He knew he could be a jerk, but he never wanted to cross the line in a creepy way.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she tried to hide her flustered state. Nathan found it adorable how she played with the edges of her hair. "I'm Haley James."

"Nathan Scott," he offered his hand out and she shook it gently. They both smiled.

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but I know the circumstances aren't very pleasurable for you right now."

"It's alright," he shrugged it off as nonchalantly as he could.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little better I guess," he admitted. The painkillers definitely helped but he still can't get around without his wheelchair- he knew he needed to try harder but a part of him still wanted to sulk.

"Do you mind if I asked what happened?" Haley tried to make small talk as she prepped for the sponge bath. She heard from the other nurses and doctors what a pain this particular patient could be but she knew a little rapport building could go a long way. So far things were looking in the clear. It seemed as if she caught him in a good mood, thankfully. She adored her job but dealing with difficult patients made it a lot harder than it should be.

Nathan furrowed his dark brows. Did she live under a rock? Sure she had to have known about his knee- it was all over the TV stations.

"It's not on my chart?"

"Patient confidentiality," she shook her head, "I know your kneecap was shattered but it doesn't say why or how."

"Oh," Nathan scratched lightly at his thick-growing beard. He hadn't had a shave since the accident. "I guess you're not a basketball fan then either, huh?"

Haley walked over to the sink in the corner and filled a plastic tub with warm, soapy water. Nathan's eyes immediately fixated on her rear; it filled out her scrubs quite nicely- the curvey backside reminded him of basketball halves. Damn, had he ever seen an ass that nice?

"... and that was only in high school."

Shit, he inwardly cursed. He was so intent on staring at her butt that he completely missed what she said. He shook his head. So much for being on his best behavior.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Haley craned her neck to look at him. She ignored the way her stomach started spinning at the ocean deep blueness of his eyes. She heard the other nurses' gossip about the hot, broody patient in room 23. Haley's eyes worked, too. He was definitely hot, but he was her patient. This was her job, not a nightclub. She couldn't let herself get tangled between his sexy smirk and baby blues.

"I'm not the athletic type so sports aren't my thing. My best friend played basketball in high school but I only went to one or two games. I never knew what was going on," she laughed lightly.

Nathan felt a genuine smile pull between his lips. Her presence was the sun after a brutal and dark winter. He felt warm and light for the first time in a month.

"I've played before I could even walk," Nathan wasn't sure what came over him or why he was opening up to a stranger. He'd never done so before- there was just something about Haley. She brought a level of comfort he forgot existed. "It was the only thing I was ever good at. I don't know what I'll do without it."

Haley gave him an empathetic smile as she draped the waterproof sheet around the bed. Truthfully, she hadn't given someone a sponge bath in a while and it wasn't her favorite part of the job but it was best if she kept the patient distracted. "Were you on the Meerkats?"

Nathan chuckled, "If by _Meerkats _you mean _Bobcats_, yes. Point guard."

Haley crinkled her nose, "I don't know what that means but I know my brothers have gone to some games."

"Hopefully they weren't at my last game," he mumbled under his breath. Haley frowned slightly.

"I'm sorry."

He usually hated when people told him that. Those words always seemed empty, but coming from Haley, he knew she meant it- and not in a condescending way either.

"I guess I had it coming. I got a little too cocky and one of the other players- we've had bad blood since college- he had it out for me. I was going for a lay-up," Nathan noticed Haley's confusion and smiled, "Sorry. I jumped up to shoot the ball and he came charging at me. I fell straight on my knee and heard a pop. The rest is history."

"I don't know anything about basketball but that doesn't seem fair. I hope he got in trouble."

Nathan chuckled again, watching Haley stretch her hands into a pair of rubber gloves. "Yeah, it definitely isn't allowed. Last I heard he was suspended for the rest of the season."

"If it was up to me I'd kick him off the team altogether."

Nathan's grin caused his eyes to crinkle, "thanks." It felt nice to have an easy conversation like this. He almost forgot he was lying in a hospital bed- that is until Haley soaked a cloth in the bath basin, reminding him that he couldn't even clean himself off like a normal 29-year-old guy.

"I'll try to make this quick. Do you mind taking your shirt off?"

Nathan almost choked. Judy bathed him every day and it barely fazed him- why, then, was he suddenly sweating?

"Oh, um, sure," he pulled the sheet down to his waist and sat up further, lifting the hem of his t-shirt off in the process. When he got to his shoulders, the shirt got stuck around his neck and he cursed under his breath.

"Need help?" He heard Haley's soft voice ask and before he could even reply, he felt her delicate hands on his and slowly pulled the fabric over his broad shoulders. Nathan's breath caught in the back of his throat when he felt her lean closely into his chest; he could feel the firmness of her breasts and warmth of her breath against his skin. In that instance, he was transported back to his early pubescent-state when he discovered his strong desire for a pair of breasts.

Haley's chest pushed further into his as she struggled to lift his neck through the collar.

Nathan squeezed his eyes shut thinking of anything he could other than picturing his sexy nurse naked.

"Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and saw concern laced over her face. It was then that he realized she'd gotten his shirt completely off.

"Yeah, sorry."

"No worries. Just let me know if any of this is uncomfortable and I will stop."

Nathan gulped again. It was uncomfortable but not in the way that she meant. All he could do was nod.

Haley inhaled a steadying breath and soaked the cloth in the sudsy water. His chest was a work of art- not to mention the well-defined muscles carved out on his abs. Most of the sponge baths she'd given were for the elderly- none of whom had a body like a Greek God. It was nearly impossible not to stare.

She was thankful when Nathan broke the silence with a question.

"How long have you been a nurse?"

"This will be my sixth year."

"So you're 28 then?"

She nodded and ran the cloth along his forearms- she thought it would be a safer place to start but his veins carved like rivers along the edge of his skin leading to bulging biceps… and, shit, what was he saying?

"Where'd you go to school?"

"UNC-Chapel Hill."

She laughed at the way his face scrunched in disgust.

"Let me guess. You were a Blue Devil?"

"And proud of it, too," he grinned cockily.

Haley focused her eyes back on his arms, now rubbing the cloth higher until it reached his armpits.

"Sorry if I smell. I haven't taken a proper shower in a month," he quipped.

Haley had to bite her lip to keep back a giggle. He was nothing but friendly, but things could turn heated quickly. She was used to the older men flirting- it, unfortunately, was part of the job, but it was also always one-sided and almost always innocent.

The truth was, Haley knew that she wouldn't be able to resist Nathan's flirty banter. Hell, she felt herself feeling flirty. How could she not? He was easily the most attractive man she'd ever seen and it didn't help matters that he was shirtless and her hands were practically feeling him up.

And he definitely didn't smell bad- he must be wearing cologne, she noted. He smelt like a minty spice that nearly had her mouth watering.

"Don't worry about it. As a nurse, I've seen and smelled it all."

Nathan threw his head back and laughed. She was funny, smart, and beautiful. There was no way he didn't have a crush on her.

Judy would kill him.

"What made you want to be a nurse?" He asked, genuinely interested. It was the most conversation he'd had in a while and it was enjoyable. Nathan couldn't keep smiling.

"It was just something I always wanted to do ever since I was little," Haley said softly. She was now scrubbing his shoulders. "I love taking care of people. Whenever my siblings were sick I would pretend to be their doctor. Luckily I was good at science in high school, so it was natural to continue in college."

"You're good at it," Nathan commented quietly. He hoped he wasn't crossing any line but she hadn't run out screaming yet, so that was a good sign.

He stared at her cheeks, detecting a change in her skin color as it flushed with red heat.

"Thank you," their eyes collided for a moment and something in the air shifted. Haley pulled the cloth away from his skin as if it burned him and looked away. She really wasn't doing anything inappropriate or wrong, but why did it feel that way?

"Um, can you scoot up a little so I can wash your back?"

Nathan did as she instructed and cleared his throat. An awkward silence settled between them; he worried he'd done something wrong.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah." Her gentle, warm hands felt so good on his back. He wanted to moan. "So-," Nathan wracked his brain for something to say. He was always a nervous talker. Plus, he needed the distraction. "Did you grow up here?"

"In Charlotte? Yeah. I worked in Chapel Hill for a year after college but I missed home too much. I was actually going to go to Duke last year for my Nurse Practioner license but I love working here too much so I'm taking night classes at UNC Charlotte."

"Oh, wow, that's pretty impressive."

"Thanks."

"Do you specialize in a particular type of nursing?"

"Usually hospice but lately I've been working post-op again."

"How come I haven't seen you before?" Nathan's breath hitched when he felt the warm cloth scrubbing the side of his neck. He could see Haley in the corner of his eye, her lips were mere inches away from his jaw. He pictured them attaching to his pulse, sucking on the spot below his ear-

"I bounce between this hospital and the one in East Charlotte. I've been subbing for the head of pediatrics here though which is why you haven't seen me."

"That's a shame," Nathan grumbled. "Some of my nurses have sucked."

Haley laughed. She could guess which ones he meant. "I thought you and Judy are fond of each other."

"Judy's great, but I think I like you best. Don't tell her I said that."

Haley ignored the racing of her heart. "Judy has, like, forty years of experience on me."

"Yeah, but you're a lot more fun to talk to." _Not to mention, prettier,_ he silently added.

Nathan inwardly cheered when her cheeks turned pink again.

"I'll be sure to add that to my resume," she retorted playfully as she squeezed out the excess water from the cloth into the basin.

Silence settled between them again and Haley quickly scrubbed the front of his chest. It took all of her power not to get lost in the feeling of his abs beneath the cloth.

"Is this still okay?"

Nathan wanted to tell her it was more than okay- that he wanted to throw the cloth out the window and just have her hands running over his wet skin.

"Mhmm. I could actually fall asleep right now."

"Go ahead," Haley encouraged. "You must be tired."

Nathan's eyes sank closed and enjoyed the sponge bath. Typically, he hated it because it made him feel like a true invalid but Haley's easy company and soft hands felt good.

Too good, he realized as the all too familiar feeling of desire swirled low in the pool of his belly. Uh-oh.

_Think of Whitey, think of Whitey, think of Whitey,_ Nathan chanted in his head. No matter how hard he tried to picture his former basketball coach, it was too late. His erection was growing and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Haley, thankfully, was still oblivious to Nathan's growing appendage and instead focused on drying off his chest and back. She, herself, was trying to think of anything other than the half-naked man lying right beneath her. The next part would only be worse- washing his legs and buttocks.

Nursing school definitely did not teach you what to do when you had a patient who looked like Nathan Scott.

"You can put your shirt back on now. I'm going to drape a sheet over your hips so I can clean your legs and feet," Haley instructed as evenly as possible. She wondered how a masseuse felt if they were attracted to their customer. It was getting harder and harder - and for Nathan, that was literally the case.

He was suddenly mortified. How old was he that he couldn't control himself around a woman? Judy did this every day and it never happened to him.

Would Haley freak out? Would she think he was a creep? He hated his body for turning on him like this; sure it'd been over six months since he'd had sexual contact with a woman but Haley was nothing but professional- still, he couldn't help but feel attracted to her. She was breathtaking. He couldn't really blame his blood for rushing south, even though he wished it wasn't the case.

Haley cringed at Nathan's silence. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel uncomfortable and she certainly didn't want to come across as unprofessional.

She grabbed a fresh cloth and soaked it in the basin, "is this warm enough?" she asked as she ran it over his right ankle.

Nathan simply mumbled a 'mhm' under his breath. She was still oblivious to his erection. He was waiting for her to erupt with disgust any minute now.

"How's the knee?"

Haley was grasping for straws now- anything to keep distracted and continue the small talk. She was afraid to be alone with her thoughts for too long.

"Oh, it's fine," Nathan muttered again. He blew out a heavy breath.

"After you eat something I can give you your next dose of medicine."

"Thanks."

Silence again.

Haley shook her head and straightened her back. She told herself this was any other sponge bath. All she had to do was keep her eyes on his legs and everything would be okay- but, as she reached the cloth higher and inside his thighs, that's when she noticed it- the tenting of the sheet.

Nathan tensed beneath the slowing cloth. He knew she saw it now. His breath was getting heavier and he wanted to cry. This was more embarrassing than when his college roommate walked in on him masturbating.

Haley pretended not to notice it but it was hard not to. Pun intended. The bulge was so large and holy shit did she want to touch it.

_Stop_, she screamed in her head. _You can get fired. _

She'd be lying if she said this hadn't happened before. Sometimes it happened to older men and it was always awkward but this time, Haley had to restrain herself from lifting the sheet and staring- or worse- touching.

Most men didn't say anything. A few were creepy about it and Haley would have to shrug it off and make a note in the file, and some men, as she soon learned would be the case with Nathan, apologized profusely.

"Is this okay?" She asked shyly. The cloth was in her hand, resting on the inside of his thigh under the sheet. Nathan's whole body was rigid.

He tried to sit up but in the process his erection grazed the cloth, causing his throat to dry and heart to accelerate. If her hand came any closer, he knew it would not end well.

"I'm so sorry, Nurse James. I - I didn't - I mean," he was rambling now and couldn't stop. "I can't- it's just... "

"Mr. Scott," she interjected, hiding her equally flustered tone, "as I said before, nurses see it all. This happens more often than you think but if you're uncomfortable, I can stop."

He blushed and avoided her stare, "I don't' want you to feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry if you are."

"I'm just doing my job," Haley didn't know how else to respond. "It's a part of life, right?"

Nathan's face was bright red, "I'm really sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," she placated him with a soft, gentle smile and wrung out the cloth over the basin. A part of her felt bad that he was so embarrassed by it, but another part of her found his bashfulness to be incredibly sexy. "It's nothing I haven't seen before-," she caught herself on her words and halted mid-sentence. "Not that I saw it- oh my," now Haley was the one rambling in a fit of flustered energy. "I just mean that it's nothing I haven't already handled."

Her eyes widened and Nathan's shame shifted with his growing laughter.

"That's not what I meant," Haley stood up, desperately trying to hide her pink cheeks. She was sure she was a tomato now. "I've never done that- well, I have - but not at work - God, I need to stop talking."

"Nurse James," Nathan grinned. She still hadn't turned around to face him again. "It's okay. I know what you meant."

She inhaled deeply to settle her nerves. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this."

"You've been nothing but professional," Nathan swore. "It was me who made things uncomfortable."

Haley shook her head, "You didn't. I promise. It's a natural response and I know you're not being a creep. Thank you for apologizing though."

He looked her in the eye and nodded. "Can we start fresh?"

"I would like that," she smiled.

Nathan held out his hand again. "Nathan Scott."

"Haley James."

"So. Is it time for my sponge bath?" And just like that, confident, cheeky Nathan was back.

Haley appreciated his easy humor but couldn't stop her eyes from rolling. "Judy warned me about you."

"What? That I'm devastatingly handsome? Funny? Smart?"

"Hm, I don't recall any of those things being said," Haley retorted with her own devilish grin. She loved bantering with her patients. "But I do remember her telling me something about that beard of yours. Something like you won't let anyone shave it?"

"I don't trust anyone with a sharp razor around me."

Haley laughed as she cleaned up the remaining parts of the sponge bath, wanting it to disappear completely. "You do realize medical professionals use razors almost daily, don't you?"

"One of the night nurses gave me the wrong medicine last week."

"Fair enough."

"Unless you want to do it?"

"You want me to shave you?"

Nathan looked at her with pleading eyes, "would you mind?"

"Not at all. I'll be right back."

Nathan watched as she skirted out of the room, momentarily grateful for the reprieve. He needed to catch his breath. Luckily, his erection had returned to its normal state but the attraction and budding feelings for his nurse were only increasing. He definitely didn't want her to get into any trouble but he wondered if she felt something too. Judging by her previous reaction, he would guess she might.

Haley, on the other hand, had to stop in the women's bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She couldn't believe what had just happened; then again, it's not as if they kissed or anything like that. She really did try to remain as professional as possible.

"Pull yourself together, James," she coached herself in the mirror. Once her temperature returned normal, she went straight to the supply closet, grabbed a surgical razor and shaving cream, then retreated back to Nathan's room.

She found him staring at his hands but looked up when he heard the door open.

"I thought you ran away. I almost had to press the nurse button."

"Don't worry, you're stuck with me for the rest of the day."

He gave her a cheeky grin and shifted on the bed to make more room for her to get closer to his face. It dawned on him that this, too, would be an incredibly intimate act but the wall of shame ceased to exist around them.

"Okay, are you ready for this?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," she smiled and pumped a quarter-sized amount of shaving cream into her palms, lathering it gently around his face. Haley noticed a small scar stretched beneath the corner of his left eye. She couldn't help but reach out and run her finger along it. "How'd you get this?" She asked softly.

Nathan's clear, crisp gaze bore straight into hers. Haley felt a row of chills crawl up her spine and settle between the vertebrae.

"I was twelve. My Dad, uh, he'd been drilling me to keep practicing my free-throws even though it was the middle of December and freezing out. I was tired and grumpy and didn't want to play anymore, so I threw the ball as hard as I could at him. He got pissed, grabbed me by my shirt and slammed my back against one of the walls inside the garage. A nail came loose in the shelf and scratched my face pretty bad. I had to get stitches but I'm lucky it didn't blind me."

"Oh, Nathan," Haley gasped, "I'm so sorry. That's horrible. You were so young!"

"Yeah," he sighed, "my dad and I never had the best relationship but once I left for college I cut him out of my life and haven't really spoken to him since. I'm so much better without him."

"It sounds like it," she agreed softly, unable to look away from his penetrating eyes. There was a saying, her mother used to tell her; that if a person stares into the sun too long, they'd go blind. Nathan's eyes were that sun. Haley didn't mind if she went blind looking at him. If his face was the last thing she ever saw, she'd be okay with that.

"What about you? It sounds like you had a pretty good childhood."

Haley smiled, gently raising the razor to his face and starting to shave. "I did. I'm one of seven so you could say I grew up in a tight-knit family."

"Wow, I can't imagine that. I grew up as an only child."

"It was crazy at times but I wouldn't change it for the world," she went on to tell him about her family vacations every summer to the Outer Banks, where they'd set up a camping site and share a tent. Nathan listened completely enraptured by her stories, wanting to commit it all to memory. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her face. Her tongue was poking out between her lips again. He wanted so badly just to lean up and kiss her. He could. Easily. She was so close he could feel her hot breath tickle his now bare chin. But he'd already embarrassed himself once today- he didn't want to do it again.

Haley finished shaving the rest of Nathan's face and rinsed it with a clean cloth. Her thumbs were smoothing over his cheeks as she once again got lost between his eyes.

"Handsome."

An easy silence settled between them; neither noticed it but Haley was practically straddling Nathan's waist as their eyes were locked intently on one another. The sharpness of his jaw caught Haley's attention; it could practically cut glass. Her tongue was inches away from licking a hot stripe across the skin-

"I guess things have been going well in here."

Haley practically jumped ten feet in the air at the sound of Judy's voice cutting through the air. Nathan whipped his head to the door and found the older nurse staring at them with a knowing smirk.

"Haley was just shaving my beard."  
Judy entered the room and her smile grew. Haley's face was as red as the apple she'd just eaten.

"I see that. But Nathan," Judy drawled, "last time I checked, your hands aren't injured. Couldn't you have shaven on your own?"

Haley's skin flushed a deeper shade of red.

"It's nice to have a nurse who finally knows what she's doing," he snapped.

Judy's laugh got louder, "I'll try not to take offense to that, dear."

"Not you," he grumbled, "but the rest of your staff who inflict pain on their patients and give them the wrong medicine."

"You better not have spoken to Nurse James like that, young man."

"He didn't," Haley squeaked, her face still red.

"Good. And Nathan, you're looking better. I'm glad to see you improving."

"It's all thanks to Nurse James."

Judy smiled as they exchanged soft smiles. She herself couldn't help but grin at the two of them. "I told you she was good. Maybe she can get you to start walking, too."

Nathan grumbled under his breath. Judy had been riding him about getting up and going to rehab practically every day but he wasn't ready yet. "We'll see," he muttered.

"Well, I need to get back to the surgery. I'll see you two later," and with that, she left as quickly as she appeared.

Haley was practically chewing a hole through her lip. "God, I thought I was going to get into trouble."

"Why?"

She looked up at him again, feeling her stomach flop. "I was all over you."

Nathan chuckled, "you were doing your job."

"I was flirting."

"So was I," he smirked. "But I'd never let you get in trouble. You're the best nurse this staff has. They'd be crazy if they lost you."

She smiled through her bitten-lip. "You really mean that?"

"Of course," he reached out and grabbed hold of her hand, "I wish you were my permanent nurse."

"You'd miss Judy too much," Haley teased.

"True - but it's a good thing you won't be my nurse anymore."

"Why?"

"Because then I can ask you out to dinner without it being a conflict of interest- and maybe earn another sponge bath."

"Nathan," Haley's lips stretched into a giddy smile, "it's going to be a while before we can go out to dinner. You have to be able to stand first, don't you think?"

He grinned confidently and started to bend his knee to elevate his body, "Then I guess I'll have a reason to get out of this bed and start walking again."

. . .

As of now, I'm going to mark this story as complete - but maybe one day if I'm inspired I'll return to it for a sequel/epilogue. Thanks for reading!

(I apologize if I got any medical jargon wrong - I'm a teacher, not a nurse! So for the sake of this story, temporarily suspend any beliefs/knowledge you have about sponge baths and broken kneecaps...)


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, alright - you guys win :) Everyone wanted a sequel so I threw this together, once again, with thanks to Mel. I couldn't have done this without her (90% of it came from her brilliant brain). Go read her story, Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice if you aren't already.

…

_Nathan's fingertips were on fire, burning with nothing but a pure desire to touch every inch of her naked skin. He would drool if it didn't make him look like a fool; Haley was spread out on his bed with nothing but a thin sheet beneath her body and a seductive smile proudly spread over her lips. _

"_Are you just going to stare or are you going to help clean me off? I've been kind of dirty…"_

"_Fuck, Hales," Nathan groaned. Ironically, his former nurse would also be the death of him. She beckoned him closer with the crook of her fingertip. His heart leaped with every step he took closer to the bed. It was his turn to return the favor- she'd given him a sponge bath once and now he would give her one. He hadn't even touched her yet but he was already sporting a major hard-on. Unlike the first time though, he wasn't ashamed of it. _

_Haley propped herself up against one of his pillows and licked her lips. Nathan clutched the wet wipe tighter in his grasp. Ever so slowly, he lowered himself onto the bed swallowing every inch of her body with his lust-filled eyes. He still couldn't decide where to start first. _

_Haley had enough of the waiting- she reached out and grabbed Nathan's hand, roughly pulling the cloth over her bare breast. "Touch me," she instructed._

_Nathan nodded feverishly and palmed the rest of her breast with the thin cloth. The points of her hardened nipples were poking through and he couldn't resist pinching it. _

"_That feels so good," Haley moaned._

_Now that he was touching her, he couldn't stop. He dragged the cloth beneath her breast and onto the flat plane of her stomach, leaving a light trace of soap bubbling on top of the porcelain skin. He kept going until he reached the inside of her creamy thigh and slowed the movement of the cloth to a gentle circular motion. Haley's body was practically quivering from the heat of his fingers through the dampened wipe. _

_Nathan noticed the heaven between her legs was wet, and not because of the water from the cloth. His stomach tickled with raging anticipation. _

"_Haley," her name crawled out of his throat in a breathless whisper. _

"_Nathan."_

"Nathan!"

Nathan's eyes blinked open with barely enough time to adjust to the cruel fluorescent lighting of the hospital room before nearly tumbling out of the extremely uncomfortable bed.

"Dammit," he groaned, sitting up and adjusting the blanket to hide his arousal. This was his third dream this week about Haley and each one kept getting more and more vivid.

Judy was staring at him with a knowing grin and Nathan couldn't stop the blush from tinting his cheeks. Waking up from a near sex dream was embarrassing enough, but waking up in front of his nurse- who was practically Nathan's grandmother at this point - was a whole new level of awkward.

"Hate to break it to you son but I'm still your nurse," she winked at him as she securely fastened a brace around his knee; after undergoing two weeks of intensive physical therapy, he was finally able to bend it on his own. He still relied on the crutches to stand and walk but he no longer was bedridden and, if all went well with his evaluation today, he'd officially be discharged.

"Aw, don't' say that Judy. You know you're my favorite."

Judy scoffed playfully, "there's no need to lie to me, sweetheart. My name wasn't the one you were just moaning - and thank God for that or my husband would be jealous."

The redness of Nathan's face and neck mirrored that of a third-degree sunburn. Judy just loved teasing him about his obvious and newfound crush on Haley.

He cleared his throat and shifted slightly on the bed, "um, how is Haley doing?"

It'd been a few days since he'd last seen her. She'd been really busy filling in for some of the other nurses but always tried to pop-in and visit him during his physical therapy sessions or just before mealtime. Nathan was always grateful for the times she'd sneak him an extra cup of ice cream.

"Well, you'd probably know better than I would now, wouldn't you?"

Nathan shifted under her gaze again. It was, by no means menacing - but he still felt as if he'd been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"I'm just teasing you, Nathan," Judy consoled him after noticing his frightened look. His deer-in-the-headlights look was just too cute. "Haley is a wonderful woman and I couldn't be happier that you've taken such a liking to her."

"Do you uh," he cleared his throat and pulled at the restrictive collar around his neck, "think she feels the same way?"

As flirty as Haley had been, she also always remained entirely professional- and Nathan respected that. Despite his strong feelings for the nurse, he'd never want to jeopardize her job. He couldn't wait to take her out on a proper date, so long as she wanted it too.

Judy let a small laugh slip through her lips and stared at the young man in front of her- she couldn't help but notice how much he'd change over the last month. He was much happier. She was proud of him.

"She'd be crazy not to," Judy replied honestly. As much of a pain Nathan had been, she also knew just how big his heart was. He and Haley would be a perfect pair.

"I've just never met anyone like her before. She's so incredible. She's beautiful and intelligent. Caring. Generous. Funny-" As Nathan listed all the things he admired about Haley, Judy simply shook her head and smiled. The poor boy had it bad- but so did Haley. Judy didn't like to get tangled up in work gossip, but she did have ears that worked. Just the other morning, she overheard Haley gushing to one of the other nurses about how sweet Nathan was. And, of course, the other workers joined in and gushed about how cute he was - Haley quickly agreed in a fit of schoolgirl giggles.

"You should surprise her later," Judy encouraged. "She's working up in Hospice - the west wing. I'm sure she'll love to see you."

His stomach unlocked a cage of butterflies at the thought of seeing her again. He didn't even care about getting released today; all he cared about was Haley James.

The doctor came in moments later, and, after a few minor and routine tests, declared Nathan well enough to leave. Of course, he'd still have to continue physical therapy at least two times a week, but he was officially in the clear to go home.

Judy cheered him on as he walked over to her (no longer limping!) on his crutch. She couldn't help but feel like a proud mother. This was, hands-down, the best part of her profession.

"I'm so proud of you," she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.

"I couldn't do it without you, Judy," Nathan swore. This woman really was a saint for putting up with him for a month. "Thank you for everything."

She felt him press a kiss on her cheek and nearly blushed, "oh, stop it. Save it for the other nurse in the building who wants it."

Nathan laughed, "I'll miss you."

"Something tells me I'll still be seeing you around here a lot," the older woman smirked. "Now go get your girl."

. . . .

His leg was shaking- and not because of his bum knee. No. He was nervous. He didn't know why he was nervous. Maybe because everything he'd been dreaming about for the past two weeks was on the other side of the elevator doors.

Nathan swallowed a steadying breath. His heart was a jackhammer and his chest was the concrete.

The elevator doors slowly slid open to a floor that Nathan had never seen before; it was painted pastel yellow. Kids' drawings were taped along one darker wall by the windows where a few elderly patients were snoozing in their wheelchairs.

Nathan's knowledge about hospice care was extremely limited; all he knew was that it was usually the step before dying. The nurses and doctors typically made you as comfortable as possible to prepare you for the end. Surprisingly, the hallways were a lot less depressing than he expected a hospice to look like. Maybe it was because Haley brought sunshine wherever she was.

He half-hobbled, half-walked further into the reception area and scanned the faces around him. Two nurses were behind a desk, filing paperwork. None of them were Haley.

Nathan was just about to lose hope when, at the end of the long hallway, he caught sight of her in the corner of his eye.

She must've just been leaving a patient's room and hadn't noticed him yet. Nathan smirked, propped the crutch against a wall, and slowly started his walk towards her. It hurt - a lot - to walk without the crutch, but the knee brace helped. He was also walking a lot slower than he'd like, but he wanted to show Haley he could do it.

She finally looked up from her clipboard and gasped, halting entirely in her tracks when she saw Nathan walking towards her.

"Nathan! You're walking!" Haley dropped her clipboard and ran right into his arms, completely forgetting their surroundings.

He instantly caught her and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Are you okay? I mean, does it hurt?" Haley pulled away slightly to look deeply into his eyes. He was smiling down at her. She felt her heart nearly burst with pride.

"I'm perfect now."

She playfully swatted his chest but couldn't contain the own large smile breaking over her lips. "It's good to see you up."

"You've seen me up before," he cocked an eyebrow and snickered at the way her cheeks instantly flared red.

"You're horrible."

"You're incredible," Nathan countered sweetly.

Haley's smile matched his. She gently caressed his cheek with one hand, refusing to let go of his bicep with the other. "So does this mean you're discharged?"

Nathan nodded proudly, "Yup. Guess what else that means?"

"Hmm," she pretended to think about it. Nathan noticed the sparkles shining like stars in her eyes. "I don't know, you'll have to remind me."

"Our date," his grin widened and Haley noticed his excitement was adorably similar to that of a child on Christmas. She wanted so badly to kiss him.

"Oh, that's right," her hands now snaked around his neck, drawing him closer to her face. Unbeknownst to them, they started to draw a crowd. "You're not a patient anymore."

His eyes twinkled with a blended mixture of mischief, hope, and desire; "do you think we can kiss now, too?"

"Oh, absolutely," she laughed lowly and licked her lips before pulling him flush against her chest. His lips brushed against hers softly at first before increasing in momentum. Haley's fingers fisted the back of his t-shirt and she kissed him hard. Nathan smiled against her mouth; his thumb delicately strummed the corner spot of her left ear.

An elderly man, whose head was poking through the door, chuckled loudly. The dry sound caught Haley's attention. She pulled away from Nathan's lips but didn't loosen her grip on his hand.

"Is there something I can do for you, Earl?"

"Oh no, ignore me, dear," he chuckled again. "I'm just watching the show."

Another splash of red had dyed Haley's skin, right up to the edges of her ears. Nathan laughed, holding her body close to his and dropping a soft kiss against her forehead.

Another older man stopped in the hallway and winked at the young couple, "Damn. I wish my nurse kissed me like that!"


End file.
